Pad Thai in Lard — Thai Rice Noodles the Original Way

Name: Pad Thai in Lard
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 200g dried flat rice noodles, soaked 30 minutes; 3 tbsp lard; 200g prawns or chicken, sliced; 2 eggs; 3 tbsp tamarind paste; 2 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tbsp palm sugar; 3 spring onions, chopped; 100g bean sprouts; 3 cloves garlic, minced; Crushed peanuts, lime, chilli flakes to serve

Pad thai was created in the 1930s as part of a Thai government campaign to promote national unity through a standardised noodle dish. The recipe was deliberately designed to use rice noodles (not imported wheat), with a tamarind-based sauce, fish sauce for salt, palm sugar for sweetness, and dried shrimp for umami depth. The original cooking fat was lard. The shift to vegetable oil in Thai restaurants globally is a cost and logistics decision, not a culinary one. Lard produces wok hei at domestic heat levels that vegetable oil cannot.

The Sauce

You Will Need for This Recipe

Yosukata Carbon Steel Wok 14" $55

The correct pan for lard stir fry at home — not non-stick.

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Fatworks Pasture-Raised Lard $16

The original wok fat — higher smoke point than any vegetable oil.

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Red Boat Fish Sauce $18

Premium fish sauce — the umami backbone of authentic pad thai.

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Tamarind Paste (Tamicon) $10

Pure tamarind — the sour component that makes pad thai pad thai.

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Pad thai sauce is a balance of three elements: tamarind (sour), fish sauce (salt and umami), and palm sugar (sweet). The ratio is typically 3:2:2 by tablespoon. The sauce should taste sour-first, then salty, then sweet — never primarily sweet, which is the mistake most restaurant versions make for Western palates. Make more than you need and store in the fridge.

Serves 2 · Prep 20 min · Cook 8 min

Serves

Prep

20 min (including noodle soak)

Cook

8 min

Ingredients

200g dried rice noodles (3-4mm wide), soaked 30 min in cold water
2 tbsp lard
2 eggs
150g protein — prawns, chicken, or tofu
3 tbsp dried shrimp
3 spring onions, cut into 3cm pieces
100g bean sprouts
Sauce: 3 tbsp tamarind paste, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp palm sugar
To serve: crushed peanuts, lime wedges, chilli flakes, extra fish sauce, sugar

Method

Mix sauce ingredients. Taste and adjust — it should be sour-salty-sweet.
Heat wok on highest heat until smoking. Add lard.
Add protein. Cook 2 minutes. Push to side.
Add eggs. Scramble briefly. Toss with protein.
Add drained noodles. Add sauce. Toss aggressively.
Add dried shrimp and spring onions. Toss.
Add bean sprouts. One final toss — keep them slightly crunchy.
Serve with peanuts, lime, chilli flakes, and condiments on the side.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of tamarind paste to use?

Pure tamarind paste (not tamarind sauce or concentrate with added ingredients). Mix tamarind block with water and strain, or use pure wet tamarind paste.

Can I use pre-soaked fresh noodles?

Fresh wide rice noodles work better than dried if available — they don't need soaking and have a better texture. Add them directly to the wok.

Why serve condiments on the side?

Traditional Thai restaurant practice — each diner adjusts their own pad thai with extra fish sauce (salt), sugar, chilli, or lime to personal taste. The dish at the table is the starting point.

Shop This Recipe

Fatworks Pasture-Raised Lard

Pure pasture-raised lard — the original wok fat for Thai cooking.

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Savor Asia

20 Asian recipes in lard, ghee and coconut oil — pad thai, fried rice, rendang, ramen and more.

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